Equality, diversity and inclusion annual report 2020 - 2021
Executive Summary
Welcome to the summary of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report for 2020 - 2021. This report focuses on how we have implemented out policies and developed our Strategic Equality Objectives for 2020 – 2024 by working collaboratively with eleven other public organisations in the spirit of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
This report sets out the work that we have done over the last financial year in relation to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Some of the highlights over the year have been:
- Publishing and launching our Strategic Equality Objectives for 2020 - 2024
- Our partnership with The Wales Public Body Equality Partnership
- Equality and Diversity Project 2021
- Ensuring our website and intranet is accessible
- Becoming members of the national Employers for Carers Network
- The development of our new Neurodiversity Network
- Celebrating and raising awareness of diverse days throughout the year
- Taking part in the Pride online event
- Renewing our Disability Confident assurance
As an organisation we work across the whole of Wales, working with other organisations, members of the public, communities and partners daily. We want to ensure everyone has a say in the work we do, valuing their contribution and ensuring that their opinions are reflected in the decisions we make.
We have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Forum with staff representatives from across the organisation. The Forum is Chaired by the Executive Director of our Corporate Services Directorate. The Forum includes one of our Board Members and Executive Team EDI Champion and Trade Union representatives.
We have seven staff Networks in place who meet regularly, providing support to staff and proactive in promoting their Network. Covid-19 has been testing for the majority and our Networks have provided essential support to their members, ensuring that there is someone to talk and support through difficult times.
Over the next year, to ensure that we are working with a more diverse audience, we will be developing our work in this area with our Equality Diversity Inclusion Consultancy Project 2021. As part of the project we will underpin The Strategic Equality Objectives and create an action plan for 2021 – 2024. Read our shared Strategic Equality Objectives. The EDI Consultation Projects purpose will be to engage with our staff our stakeholders, and customers ensuring we get to the heart of every community in Wales helping people understand who we are, what we do and how they can contribute to our work.
Background
The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on public bodies to consider the effect our work, policies and services we deliver including can have on others, this includes in our own workplace. In summary public bodies must, in the exercise of their functions, have due regard to the need to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act.
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
- Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against people with a protected characteristic. The protected characteristics are:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender Reassignment
- Marriage and Civil Partnership
- Pregnancy and Maternity
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual Orientation
We are also subject to the Public Sector Equality Duties Wales as set out in the Equality Act 2010 (Statutory Duties) (Wales) Regulations 2011, noting that listed bodies will undertake:
- Annual Monitoring Reports
- Strategic Equality Plans
- Setting Objectives
- Collect and Analyse Equality Information
- Service Users Equality Information
- Workforce Equality Information and Workforce Pay Differences
- Consultation and Engagement
- Assessing Impact
- Staff Training
- Procurement
- Accessibility
There are no duties to promote and use the Welsh language included within the Equality Act, instead these duties are set in the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011. Our Welsh Language Standards require that the language is considered in all our decision-making processes and is included as a consideration in our Equality Impact Assessment ensuring that both languages are treated equally.
Strategic Equality Objectives 2020 – 2024
Our new high-level strategic objectives were developed working in collaboration with eleven other public organisations as part of The Wales Public Bodies Equality Partnership. We worked together to develop high level shared equality objectives in line with recommendations from the Equality and Human Rights Commissioner and Welsh Government.
Working in partnership to develop our Strategic Equality Objectives for 2020 – 2024, is in the spirit of the five ways of working outlined in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. The eight shared strategic aims will help address inequalities across Wales identified by the Equality and Human Rights Commission report 'Is Wales Fairer 2018?'.
The objectives were approved by NRW Board in September 2020 and were published on our website in line with our Public Sector Equality Duties. Due to Covid-19 the planned public launch of the objectives was cancelled. The objectives were launched by Deputy Minister, Jane Hutt MS, on 1 March 2021 in an online event. We supported this launch by delivering an aligned promotion on our social media accounts including a week of articles across our intranet, this launch also linked to events for staff and our communities to engage with NRW on the EDI Consultation Project 2021.
Public Sector Wales Equality Partnership
Along with developing our high-level Strategic Equality Objectives with the eleven other organisations, there are plans to work more collaboratively on other projects in the future, sharing good practice, ideas and ways of working to further embed EDI into our working practices. The Task and Finish Groups which the partnership have agreed to working on for 2021 – 2022 are:
- HR – Diversity and Gender Pay Gap
- Procurement
- Data Group
- Insight
Strategic Equality Action Plan 2020 - 2024
The Board wish to significantly further our work in EDI having recently launched our values, as an organisation; we want to move beyond the generally accepted approach to equality diversity and inclusion. Read NRW network updates for our Values. We recognise that a true diverse organisation will be more innovative, productive, and successful for employees and for the people of Wales. This work will support our other aims e.g. our Sustainable Management of Natural Resources aims and objectives, by communicating openly in various formats with all members of the public in the future.
Working across the whole of Wales, we consult with the public regularly, but we wish to engage with a wider and more diverse audience and want to find ways to actively engage with under-represented groups, by inviting them to have their say in our work.
EDI Consultation Project 2021
To help us to achieve our aims and find better ways of engaging with a diverse audience who represent the make-up of Wales, over the next six months we will be embarking on our EDI Consultation Project 2021 with support from an external provider. The project will help in developing an action plan to embed and drive equality, diversity and inclusion into the heart of the organisation, inclusivity becoming our normal way of working. The outcomes will help us understand and engage with our more diverse communities, with the aspiration to attract a workforce representative of the diverse communities we serve here in Wales.
The objectives of the project are to:
- articulate our EDI vision, principles and action plan in a meaningful way
- develop a strategic plan for April 2021 to March 2024 that embeds diverse and inclusive ways of working
- develop an engagement strategy to support the 3-year action plan
- create an organisation that is instinctively inclusive and diverse in nature
- develop an engagement and action plan must ensure that both internal and external are ‘developed’ coherently together to support in-service delivery, customer, internal representation of community and customer base
This project will be completed with objectives and action plan end of June 2021 and will help identify objectives and an action plan to significantly enhance our EDI activities internally and externally
Equalities Action Plan 2020 – 2022
The Equalities Action Plan was developed to support our Strategic Equality Objectives to help embed equality, diversity and inclusion into more of our work and our commitment to equality. Given the restrictions with Covid-19 and the launch of the EDI Consultation Project, we want to go the next step and develop the equality action plan with the engagement of our staff, customers and our communities. Therefore, the original action plan has been integrated into the 2021-2022 action plan and we are focusing our resources on the EDI Consultation Project 2021. The action plan will be published in September 2021 and help attain the objectives in our Strategic Equality Objectives for 2020 – 2024 and those of people we consulted.
Policies
Each of our policies are reviewed on a regular basis, this also forms part of our work in submitting our Workplace Equality Index with Stonewall to ensure that we use appropriate wording and phrases within our policies, procedures and guidance.
Website Accessibility
As a public sector organisation, we were required to meet the Web Accessibility Regulations 2018 by September 2020. Our compliance with the regulations will be monitored by The UK Government Digital Service (GDS) and any non-compliance will be published with our name and a copy of their decision.
The Digital Communications Team audited most of the website and an external company has provided a report on accessibility issues they found with our website. There will be further improvements over the next 12 months to make our website more accessible.
Guidance is available in accessible format for publishing on our website with templates and forms. Word 2010 has an accessibility checker feature built in which highlights non accessible information with hints and tips in making the work fully accessible.
As an organisation we wish as many people to access our website as possible, this work means that people with, blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities or cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech disabilities or photosensitivity, improving the website usability for all our customers.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum
This forum brings our staff together from across NRW, with commitment from the Board, Executive and Leadership Teams, all Directorates, Staff Networks and Trade Unions. The Forum group meet quarterly with additional meetings as and when required for tasks.
Forum members consist of:
- Chair (Executive Director Corporate Strategy and Development)
- NRW Board member
- Executive Team E&D Champion
- One representative from each directorate:
- One representative for all the Trade Unions
- One representative from each Staff Network
Over the last year the Forum has welcomed new members from across the organisation with Forum members working together on projects relating to EDI. A group of Forum members are involved in reviewing the Equality Impact Assessment and providing feedback from their areas of the business.
The Equality & Diversity Forum aims to:
- Promote a positive culture around equality, diversity and inclusion
- Celebrate and promote the successes of a diverse range of staff both internally and externally, promoting NRW as an employer of choice
- Act as a consultation forum in development for new and existing policies and procedures
- Promote and develop a trusting environment where staff can disclose confidentially
- Find ways to better engage with our customers and communities we serve
- Provide networking opportunities for personal and professional development
Staff Networks
The Networks are run by staff for staff and bring together people from all areas of the workplace who identify with others from a similar background or group.
Staff Networks fulfil various functions including providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development. Staff networks can also contribute to the development of our policies and working practices.
We recognise the value of self-organised groups in creating an environment that respects the diversity of staff and enables them to get the maximum benefit and enjoyment from their involvement in the workplace.
We aim to support these networks by:
- Encouraging managers to release employees to participate in them
- Promoting the Networks to new and existing employees
- Listening constructively to any employee concerns raised through the staff networks
- Taking part in initiatives developed by the staff network
We currently have 7 staff networks as follows:
- Assisted User Groups (ICT and Telephony)
- Calon LGBT+
- Christian Fellowship
- Cwtch (Carers Network)
- Dementia Friends
- Muslim Network
- Neurodiversity
One member from each Network attends the EDI Forum meetings, providing an update and a forward look on what the Network is involved with.
Over the next year we will work on developing a more coordinated approach to how NRW staff networks are run and supported, e.g. having a Network calendar for promoting events and channels on Microsoft Teams to make working together easier and developing a more structured way in working together.
Starting from January 2021, each of our Networks has been invited to give a presentation at the Induction course for new members of staff. This is an important step in ensuring that new staff are aware of which Networks we have here, and the support in place at an early stage in their career with us. This will help in supporting diversity within the organisation and helping new staff to have a sense of belonging within the organisation.
Information on each of our networks and their purpose can be found in NRW network updates.
NRW Support and Raising Awareness Days
The staff Networks were actively involved in raising awareness on some activities listed below.
During Covid-19 we experienced a number of changes to our normal ways of working and raising awareness in 2020. We understood the sensitivities to our staff and availability during this time. However, we continued to raise awareness quarterly instead of per month. In 2021 our aim will be to gradually increase participation and organise events in line with the well being of our staff.
Quarter 2
- International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia - 17 May
- Pansexual Day of Visibility - 25 May
- Carers week with supported talks, carers cuppa sessions - 8 to 14 June
- Virtual tour of a Mosque - 19 to 21 June
Quarter 3
- Sponsored and participated in Pride Cymru's Big Online Week event - August
Quarter 4
- Trans Day of Remembrance - 20 November
- National Carers Rights Day and we joined the Employers for Carer National Network - 26 November
- Elf Day raising awareness about dementia with a coffee morning and dementia friends awareness session as well as raising money - December
2020
- Cancer, Mental Health to Non smoking days
Equality Impact Assessment Review
Our review of the Equality Impact Assessment ensures we have a more robust assessment in place setting out clearly and help us in meeting our public sector equality duties. With the implementation of the Socio-Economic Duty within the Equality Act 2010, it was timely that we reviewed our Equality Impact Assessment to include this Duty. We are not a named public body required to enact Sections 1 to 3 of the Duty to reduce inequalities of outcome that result from socio-economic disadvantage but voluntarily carry out impact assessments to guide decisions to evidence delivery of the Duty.
Also included are considerations to be given to Human Rights and Children and Young people who have specific human rights guaranteed by the United Nations on the Rights of the Child (UNRC). It encourages public services across the country to commit to the UNRC and to improve how they plan and deliver their services.
The reviewed assessment is more robust in ensuring that:
- The purpose of the policy change/decision/work is clearly set out
- That those affected have been involved and their views taken into consideration from the start
- Potential positive and negative impacts have been identified
- Plans put in place to alleviate or reduce any negative impact
- Any positive impacts as a result of the policy change/decision/work
- Plans to monitor the impact of the proposal
We will be embedding further awareness over the coming months of the need to carry out an assessment which has also been raised in our regular monthly briefing to managers. 22 Equality Impact Assessments have been carried out within the last year.
Stonewall Workplace Equality Index
Due to Covid-19 in 2020 Stonewall paused the Workplace Equality Index submissions for 2021. This year as part of the EDI Consultation Project we will be reviewing how best to support out staff through equality. We hope that as a result of the work we are doing on EDI within the organisation there will be further involvement with Stonewall in some format in the future.
Disability Confident Employer
Disability Confident is a scheme that is designed to help us recruit and retain disabled people for their skills and talents. This ensures that those with disabilities are guaranteed an interview when applying for vacancies within our organisation when they meet the minimum skill criteria requirements for the role. Due to Covid-19, the Government employer scheme was paused in 2020. We will be working with the scheme leaders towards re-accreditation in May 2021. Membership to the scheme allows us to access a wider talent pool and benefitting from their skills.
Self-Disclosure
We request that our staff voluntarily self-disclose their personal details such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, faith, belief or no belief and caring responsibilities confidentially and record in our central HR system. This information helps us to understand how our workforce represents the diversity of the people of Wales. To date 68.4% of our staff have self-disclosed, the percentage appears to be lower than last year but the number of staff who have self-disclosed is up by 94 people due to the increase in the head count over the last year.
We will aim over the next year to increase the number of staff that self-disclose, by engagement from the EDI Consultation Project 2021 and improving communication and guidance across managers and staff. This will not only help us in fulfilling our Public Sector Equality Duties but also ensure that we have the robust inclusive policies here in place, and inclusive support and staff Networks. New Staff are encouraged to self-disclose as part of the EDI presentation at their Induction course.
Self-Disclosure Completion Rates – January 2021
| Directorate disclosure stats | Number completed disclosure | Number not completed disclosure | Total | Percentage completed disclosure | Percentage not completed disclosure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations | 858 | 425 | 1283 | 38.40% | 19% |
| Evidence, Policy and Permitting | 408 | 172 | 580 | 18.20% | 7.70% |
| Finance and Corporate Services | 119 | 55 | 174 | 5.30% | 2.50% |
| Communication, Customer and Commercial | 74 | 32 | 106 | 3.30% | 1.40% |
| Corporate Strategy and Development | 71 | 23 | 94 | 3.20% | 1.00% |
| Total | 1530 | 707 | 2237 | 68.40% | 31.60% |
Recruitment
From the 1 April 2020 until 31 January 2021, we received 3554 applications to vacancies across NRW. As part of our commitment to the EDI strategic objectives and the EDI Consultation Project 2021, our aim will be to attract applications across our communities to best reflect the diversity of our population in Wales.
Recruitment statistics shows further breakdown of statistics from 1 April 2020 to 31 January 2021.
Induction for New Staff
A presentation is given at each Induction course for new staff on Equality Diversity and Inclusion. This presentation focuses on what EDI means to us as an organisation rather than the legislation in place: how important attracting a more diverse workforce is in bringing together people from diverse backgrounds, culture, with different skills, ideas, new ways of working, beliefs, abilities, disabilities, health needs and ideas to help us in fulfilling our role and responsibilities as an organisation. This will also help us in having a workforce which is more representative of our diverse communities here in Wales, ensuring we gain a better understand their needs and in turn provide a better service for the people of Wales.
Our inclusion policies are explained, emphasising how an inclusive workplace makes for a happy workplace where everyone feels valued and has a sense of belonging, treated fairly, given the same opportunities and support to carry out their role.
Staff Analysis
The analysis shows that as an organisation there is a need for workforce planning to anticipate change and plan to ensure that skills, experiences and competencies are in place for the right jobs for the future. The Senior Specialist Advisor, Organisational Development is currently working on the second iteration to support workforce analysis and planning. We have recently reviewed our Recruitment, Secondment and Fixed Term Appointment policies and procedures. EDI formed part of the process and an Equality Impact Assessment was carried out for each one to help identify if there were any discrimination or disadvantage to anyone with a protected characteristic in our policies and procedures. Our EDI Consultation Project 2021 will focus on key areas regarding the demographics of our current staff population and how best to ensure we reflect the communities across Wales in the future.
February 2021: Staff 2237
Gender
- Female 45.2%
- Male 54.8%
The overall data for NRW offers general balance. From Grade 7 to Grade 11 there are fewer females.
Age demographic
29.6% (663) are aged between 45 and 55
Largest proportion of population regarding age in NRW. For this demographic of staff, they will have differing priorities for:
- Work life balance
- Renumeration and benefits
Working arrangements
- Full-time employed 84.9%
- Part-time employed 15.1%
The breakdown of which:
Full-time
- Female 33.5%
- Male 51.4%
Part-time
- Female 11.7%
- Male 3.4%
For this size of organisation across UK government there is a higher proportion of part-time staff in comparison to NRW. This may indicate that further efforts to enable Flexible working could be explored.
For most of the part-time workers further analysis is required to understand what the need is for NRW and how it can attract and retain talent that requires flexible working and reflects our communities.
Caring responsibilities
- 24.2% of staff have caring responsibilities
Nearly a quarter of staff have identified as undertaking caring responsibilities. Further analysis is required to understand the best way to support our staff in NRW.
We currently have:
- Caring for carers week June 8-14
- Wellbeing, health and safety team
- Carers guidance
- Flexible working policy
- Regular Care First webinars
- Employee assistance programme
- Cwtch network
- Buddy system
- Carers information and communication internally on the intranet and Yammer
In these three groups in NRW, the proportion of staff reflecting the population across Wales is lower than in relation to our communities.
- BAME ethnicity 1.5%
- Fluent Welsh speakers 24%
- Sexual orientation 2.36% self-disclosed as gay woman /man, bisexual or other
The EDI Consultation Project is undertaking bi-lingual public and staff surveys, focus groups across Wales; reaching diverse communities to enable informed recommendations to be agreed with Board.
One of the aims of the project is to improve opportunities in NRW to attract applications that best represent our communities across Wales.
Gender Pay Gap 31 March 2020
Our gender pay gap information is captured on 31 March each year to comply with The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 methodology.
Our Gender Pay Gap analysis carried out reported that our headline figure was 2.5% at 31 March 2020. This figure is down from 5.3% reported in 2019.
According to the Office for National Statistics the UK pay gap for this same time was 15.5%, this is down from 17.4% in 2019.
Summary of NRW Gender Pay Gap
2020 results
| Quartile | 2019 Percentage difference | 2020 Percentage difference | Number of male employees | Number of female employees | Percentage of male employees | Percentage of female employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Quartile | -10.20 | -13.50% | 267 | 231 | 54% | 46% |
| Lower middle quartile | -1.20 | -12.80% | 265 | 231 | 53% | 47% |
| Upper middle quartile | -14.60 | -7.40% | 257 | 238 | 52% | 48% |
| Upper quartile | -51.40 | -38.40% | 307 | 189 | 62% | 38% |
Basic full-time equivalent hourly
| Measure | Male (1096) | Female (889) | Basic percentage difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | £17.82 | £17.43 | -2.20% |
| Median | £17.68 | £17.14 | -3.20% |
Total full-time equivalent hourly
| Measure | Male (1096) | Female (889) | Total percentage difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | £17.92 | £17.48 | -2.50% |
| Median | £17.68 | £17.14 | -3.10% |
Based upon the HRMC definitions of female and males in regards Gender Pay Gap, analysis shows that 62% of males are in roles at from upper grade 6 to grade 11 in comparison to 38% of females.
Women earn 97p for every £1 that men earn when comparing total mean hourly wages. The total mean for grade 6 and below results in women earning 44p in every £1 men earn.
When comparing mean hourly wages, women’s mean hourly wage is 2.5% lower than men. The improvement from the previous year is the result of a number of female senior leadership appointments.
There has been improvement from 2018 however as we develop, further work will be taken to understand and improve the gap. We will continue to monitor our progress regularly with our pay scale review.
Complaints
Over the last year we received three complaints in relation to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as follows, two in relation to the same matter:
- Two complaints were received from members of the public on the use of a name associated with a mining tool which also has links to racist educational segregation in USA on a section of our mountain bike trail.
Due to the concerns raised we made the decision to remove the name plaque from the trail section and find a more suitable alternative reflecting the mining history and culture of the area will be used for the section head. As an organisation we strive to be free from prejudice and discrimination and are passionate about making equality and diversity one of our top priorities.
- One complaint received regarding the law which prohibits the fishing for salmon with bait was a direct discrimination against a section of disabled anglers, taking away the option to fish due to their disability.
Following careful consideration of the issues before and during consultation, NRW amended its proposal the overall effect is to maintain opportunities for anglers who can only fish with bait. In NRW’s view this makes the impacts of the All-Wales Byelaws on less physically able anglers proportionate and objectively justified.
Conclusion
The findings of this report shows that Covid-19 has impacted many areas that would be associated with EDI across the business, for example our work with external accreditations and events to promote and embed equality further was reduced to support wider programmes to ensure the well-being our staff.
The networks are gaining momentum and the EDI forum collectively are looking ahead to plan how we can support staff in 2021.
The Equality Impact Assessment review is being aligned to the EDI Consultation Project 2021 ensuring that it will support staff and managers in working with an inclusive approach for both internally and externally to ensure that no one is discriminated or disadvantaged due to our work.
Our Gender Pay Gap has reduced following the Organisation Change Programme which saw an increase in the number of females who were successful in gaining more senior roles than previously within the organisation. To reduce further, females need to secure roles at ET and Leadership roles within the organisation.
The findings of our staff analysis show that the diversity of our workplace needs further analysis via the EDI Consultation Project to help us reflect the diversity of our communities where some of our largest offices are located. The EDI Consultation Project 2021 will help us to identify any barriers there may be in our communication methods to engaging with our more diverse and harder to reach communities and help us attract a more diverse workforce for the future. A report with recommendations and an action plan will be presented to Board in Summer 2021.
NRW Network Updates
Assisted User Groups (IT and Telephony)
The network brings together staff from across the organisation who use assistive software allowing them to access the standard NRW applications. Staff who use assistive software may have mobility or visual restrictions, hearing loss or other individual needs that require specialist software or adjustments.
The Assisted User Group is a forum for sharing knowledge between users and NRW’s ICT department by ensuring applications are accessible to users for now and in the future. The network test the applications used by current assisted users for accessibility and additional technology which may be needed by assisted users. The network also links users of assistive software together and work to promote and gain a better understanding of the use of assistive software.
Currently there are 28 assisted users across the organisation who meet on a monthly basis.
A training course was arranged for Assisted Users in the use of the newly introduced Microsoft Teams package which has recently been launched across the organisation. This helped in identifying some issues for the users which ICT were able to address ensuring that assisted users were not disadvantaged and able to have full use of the package. The network is also involved in testing ICT software regularly before introduction to ensure that they suit user needs.
All new staff and current staff who have identified as requiring assisted user technology are given training for their particular user need.
Over the next year the network will continue to meet every other month, and test any new applications, or applications that have been purchased and need to be tested to see how they work with Assistive technology, to ensure they suit user needs.
Muslim Network
The network was launched for anyone in the organisation that is a practicing Muslim or would like to find out more about the Islamic faith, meet new people and simply show support as an ally.
Diversity and inclusion are an important part of the way we work, and we are committed to making our organisation as diverse as the environment around us.
There are currently 8 members but due to limited Muslim NRW employees only one active member of the group raising awareness of the Muslim faith generally within the organisation. We hope that the network presentation as part of our Induction programme will help increase membership.
A video was created for NRW Fest on the wearing of the Niqab and face coverings in Covid-19. This explained to staff the significance of wearing the Niqab for Muslim women.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions a Virtual Mosque Tour link was made available to NRW Staff on Yammer. This gave staff the opportunity to have a virtual tour of the inside of Mosque’s across the UK and gain a better understanding of the Muslim faith for men and women. Positive feedback was received from those who attended.
A presentation has been drafted to provide an awareness session for NRW Board and Senior Managers on 'Belief and Natural Resources in Islam'
Cwtch (Carers Network)
The Cwtch Network was established in Autumn 2019 with the aim of doing more to recognise, support and value our colleagues who care for others and loved ones.
Membership is open to both Carers and those interested in supporting colleagues. The Network meets online every 6 weeks, with between 25 and 30 attending each meeting which is chaired by one of our Leadership Group members.
Cwtch has links with our Dementia Friends, Wellbeing time to talk groups and also part of the EDI Forum. With an active Yammer group with 60 or so members and an intranet page with guidance, information on welfare and benefits for Carers and explaining the support available from NRW.
The group has spent its first few months thinking about topics such as:
- The importance of declaring carer interests – why might people choose not to register as a carer – for example do people feel being seen as a carer is a negative thing and makes them seem less reliable or professional, do people prefer to keep home and work lives separate, do people always realise when they are a carer as this can be a gradual change, or an intermittent requirement? And how might we be able to support people to recognise this role and remove any barriers?
- How we can make carers and caring more visible (creating a safe space while respecting confidentiality) – using intranet blogs, Yammer posts, signposting new starters to the group as part of their induction, carers week and so on.
- How we can support our carers emotionally and practically – this might be through formal routes such as our policies, flexible working, and linking to the Equality Strategy, and through more informal arrangements such as virtual ‘carers cuppa’ tea breaks and buddying system. We also have good links to the Mental Health First Aiders group.
- 8 to 14 June 2020 was Carers Week, the first one since the Cwtch Network was formed. During that week the network had a strong intranet presence letting people know about the network and promoting daily sessions which included a discussion on NRW’s support for carers, a talk from Swansea Parent Carer Forum, session on dementia and technology, and carers cuppa sessions (caring for elders and the A word). With carers blogs on the intranet and people shared their personal experiences of caring and balancing this with their working lives. During that week NRW made a public pledge to continue to provide a supportive place in NRW whereby we can recognise those in our organisation who care for their loved ones for a variety of reasons and provide further opportunities for those that may wish to find out more.
- On 26 November to coincide with Carers Right’s Day we became members of the Employers for Carers UK wide Network and are now part of the Wales hub along with other public organisations. Employers for Carers support employers in supporting employees with caring responsibilities and create carer-friendly workplaces. This enables the Network and organisation to have access to their guidance and training materials and courses.
- The Network have an ongoing communications plan and forward look, which has focussed on events such as Carers Week and Carers Rights Day but is now expanding to reflect other activities and to think how the Network can each everyone that might benefit from membership. During 2021 the Network will explore how to bring the ‘Employers for Carers’ benefits to those Carers in NRW and looking at whether to adopt the Carers Passport as part of our policies and procedures.
Dementia Friends
Despite lockdown over 140 have become new dementia friends in NRW between March and December 2020 by running virtual sessions linked to both our new starter induction programme and our #TeamNRW staff webinars. The virtual dementia friend information sessions have been linked to our NRW induction programme and now all of our new starters attend a session during their first few months with us.
Two sessions have been run on Dementia Friends Awareness and a short session about NRW’s journey to becoming a Dementia Friendly Community, the resources that are available to staff and the expectations we have of them to be Dementia Friendly in their work.
There are now 5 accredited NRW Dementia Champions who are able to deliver information sessions either face to face or using the new virtual format.
Dementia Friends work continues to be represented at our EDI Forum meetings and a caring for elders virtual cuppa formed part of our recent Cwtch network week of events.
As some of projects re-commence, we will once again be able to incorporate dementia friendly characteristics into our work, for example:
Cwmcarn Forest Drive
Landscaping works are underway to develop 8 recreational areas located along Cwmcarn forest drive. Accessible features have been incorporated throughout the scheme including accessible paths and picnic areas, circular walking routes, a selection of accessible play furniture, accessible toilets and dementia friendly braille signage for the exterior and interior of each toilet building.
Ely dementia garden
Following a joint Health Board meeting NRW are funding and helping to design a sensory garden in Ely, Cardiff with an application due shortly for ‘Strategic outcome request funding’.
We have published details of our Dementia Friendly Community work on a new suite of Intranet pages.
NRW has joined a Wales-wide blue light dementia group to share learning and best practice. This is co-ordinated by the ambulance service and includes representation from police and fire. Attendance has obviously been impacted this year however going forwards forum members will provide updates about their dementia friendly initiatives and share best practice.
NRW Executive Team have supported NRW in becoming a project partner in a proposed new 'citizen science' dementia friendly project being coordinated through Bangor University.
Bangor based researchers are submitting a research bid to UKRI to develop a 'citizen science' model for people with dementia and their carers to assess and provide feedback on a range of sites and settings throughout Wales over a 3-year period. Small groups of people living with dementia and their carers will use a specially developed app on a phone or a tablet to rate indoor and outside spaces, generating summary reports for discussion between site representatives and the participants to review the feedback, identify priorities and plan and implement any improvements (where this is possible). The principles of the project focus on community networks and continuous learning. This ties in perfectly with the work we have already started inviting feedback on our visitor centre facilities.
The project group have a health care setting signed up (Tremadog hospital), an urban setting (C&C Swansea), a rural community (Porthmadog) and now NRW as an organisation that manages access to outdoor space, linked to wellbeing.
Along with the other project partners we will ensure that Covid-19 compliance and public and staff safety are number one priority if the project does go ahead – and there are a range of options in terms of dates and methods of gathering data over the 3-year project period to enable this. We are waiting to hear whether the funding bid has been approved.
Calon LGBT+
The Calon LGBT+ Network provides support, guidance and networking opportunities for NRW’s LGBT+ staff members and allies who wish to support LGBT+ equality.
Currently there are 50 formal members, with120 staff following the Calon Yammer page. There are no formal meetings, but ad hoc calls throughout the year.
We commemorated Trans Day of Remembrance (20/11/20), sponsorship of Pride Cymru’s online week (August 2020), encouraged staff to partake in Stonewall’s LGBT Action Plan for Wales survey (August 2020), Pansexual Day of Visibility (26/5/20), International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHoBiT) (17/5/2020).
The Network plan to publish guidance on use of personal pronouns in the organisation, celebrating other International Days of visibility, contributing to Stonewall’s Workplace Equality index submission which was put on hold due to Covid-19.
Christian Fellowship
Over the last year the Network have continued to enjoy fellowship and mutual support within the staff network via our Yammer group pages, which is a private group by invite – merely to avoid others in Yammer being flooded through auto- feed which distract from the main “business” purpose of Yammer. Membership is open to those who are active participators and observers with an interest in what the Network do. Meetings are held on a fortnightly basis over lunchtime.
In meetings the Network share mutual support through Bible study, discussion and prayer. Many have never met face to face but feel connected as colleagues through this. The Network have also found it important to pray for the wellbeing of our organisation and staff really appreciate NRW’s contribution to staff wellbeing in the workplace by allowing Staff Networks to operate in this way and thus create a happy and diverse workforce where staff can be who they are, and let others be who they are.
This year has been a very different and difficult year for everyone with the challenges of dealing with the ongoing impact on our lives due to Covid-19 pandemic. For the Christian Fellowship Staff Network the continued support given by NRW has been more important than previously.
Currently there are 30 members, a slight increase, however as a result of enforced homeworking this has facilitated an increase in numbers of members participating in the meetings held. The Monday morning 20 minute prayer coffee break which was a face-to-face meeting with a handful of attendees in a meeting room in Aberystwyth has now become a larger virtual meeting allowing us to gather from across Wales for prayer/worship and mutual support which has been a lifeline to all in enforced isolation. Again, more people are attending the fortnightly lunchtime meetings. Without this staff network the last 10 months would have a much more difficult time. The Network give a massive thank you once again to NRW for contributing to the wellbeing of staff and facilitating these Staff Networks. The Networks hearts and prayers go out to everyone in NRW who have suffered loss or illness and severe disruption to their lives as a result of this pandemic.
Neurodiversity
This is a new network which was set up in October 2020 following much interest and activity on the Neurodiversity Yammer group.
A group of neurodivergent staff started the network to give other neurodivergent colleagues, their managers and colleagues who have neurodivergent family members access to useful information and a place to ask questions. The network is open to all staff.
The aim of the network is to help become a more inclusive workplace and put into practice NRW’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, reduce the stigma around neurodivergent and make staff feel safe, empowered and informed.
To date there are 21 members of the network who meet on a monthly basis.
A member of the network has been raising awareness of neurodivergent conditions online as part of our Wednesday webinar sessions, these have been very popular with a number of managers attending, helping them in gaining a better understanding of the condition and what as a manager they can do to help staff and reduce stress in any way.
A two-hour Introduction to Neurodiversity course was held at the beginning of December, 15 staff attended the online course and feedback was positive with attendees having a better understanding of the different ways we all think and understand and the different skills we all have which are so important in an inclusive and diverse workplace.
The Network are in the process of drafting a calendar of their work for the next 12 months. The Network are in discussion with Digital Communication in creating a page on the intranet with useful and supportive information for staff and managers.
Self-disclosure stats 2020 – 2021
See self disclosure statistics 2020-2021
Recruitment Statistics
From the internal recruitment there were 312 applications, 4 requested a guaranteed interview and 3 received a guaranteed interview. Their EDI demographics are counted in the overall staff analysis.
This data is based upon 3554 applications to vacancies from the period of 1 April 2020 to the 31 January 2021.
The topics are based upon the questions asked on the NRW external application form in the section titled 'Equalities Monitoring Form Recruitment'.
What is your gender?
| Gender | Total |
|---|---|
| Male | 2027 |
| Female | 1490 |
| No record | 26 |
| Non binary or Intersex | 6 |
| Prefer not to say | 4 |
| Genderfluid | 1 |
Does your gender identity match the sex you were assigned at birth?
| Gender identity | Total |
|---|---|
| Yes | 3520 |
| Prefer not to say | 21 |
| No record | 8 |
| No | 5 |
What is your sexual orientation?
| Sexual orientation | Total |
|---|---|
| Heterosexual/Straight | 3140 |
| No record | 132 |
| Bisexual | 115 |
| Prefer not to say | 86 |
| Gay man | 50 |
| Gay woman / Lesbian | 29 |
| Other | 2 |
What caring responsibilities do you have?
| Caring responsibility | Total |
|---|---|
| None | 2985 |
| Primary carer of children (under 18) | 363 |
| Secondary carer | 159 |
| Prefer not to say | 24 |
| No record | 13 |
| Primary carer of an older person (65 and older) | 4 |
| Primary carer of family | 3 |
| Primary carer for an older person (under 65) | 1 |
| Primary carer of disabled children (under 18) | 1 |
| Foster carer | 1 |
What is your race?
| Race | Total |
|---|---|
| White British | 3298 |
| Other ethnic group | 123 |
| No record | 41 |
| Mixed/multiple ethnic groups | 27 |
| Black/African/Caribbean/Black British | 26 |
| Asian/Asian British | 24 |
| Prefer not to say | 15 |
What is your religion, belief or non-belief?
| Religion, belief or non-belief | Total |
|---|---|
| Have no faith or belief | 2289 |
| Have faith or belief | 1083 |
| Prefer not to say | 172 |
| No record | 10 |
Do you consider yourself to have a disability?
| Disability | Total |
|---|---|
| No | 3433 |
| Yes | 86 |
| Prefer not to say | 18 |
| No record | 17 |
Guaranteed interview
| Guaranteed interview requested | Total |
|---|---|
| No | 3491 |
| Yes | 59 |
| No record | 4 |
What is your age group?
| Age group | Total |
|---|---|
| 16-24 | 1020 |
| 25-34 | 1239 |
| 35-44 | 568 |
| 45-55 | 340 |
| 56-65 | 107 |
| No record | 271 |
| Prefer not to say | 9 |